


The Shelter

by buckybarnes19



Series: Bucky's Big Adventure [9]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Animals, Brief mentions of animal cruelty, Dogs, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Recovering!Bucky, sam wilson - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-08
Updated: 2015-06-08
Packaged: 2018-04-03 11:33:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4099453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buckybarnes19/pseuds/buckybarnes19
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After weeks of disappearing to some secret place Bucky finally let's Steve in on the secret, but it's not what he expected</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Shelter

"Where does he go?" 

Steve is looking out the window at Bucky's disappearing figure, his shoulders hunched and his collar turned up against the wind. Steve hasn't said anything about his friend's frequent excursions because Bucky hasn't said anything about them. His need for privacy is important to both of them, but that doesn't mean Steve can't be curious and that curiosity has finally started to win out. 

Sam glances up from his laptop and gives Steve a look that almost makes him feel guilty. "Why don't you just ask him?"

"I want to but I don't wanna push, you know?"

Sam smiles a little. "Maybe a little push is what he needs."

Steve looks out the window again but Bucky's disappeared in the crowd of people,  off to... wherever it is he goes three or four times a week. Steve knows about his other haunts: the café with the cake he likes, the museum, the skeevy looking diner with the surprisingly amazing burgers... But this one place is Bucky's secret. 

Steve decides to ask him about it when Bucky gets home a few hours later. Sam's left by now and they have a few hours until they're supposed to meet up with Barton and Nat to go to the movies.

Bucky presses his lips together when Steve asks but he doesn't seem angry or scared. Maybe a little shy and Steve tries to save his friend's dignity by not smiling.

He doesn't tell Steve where he goes. Instead he says, "I'm going tomorrow. I'll take you, if you want."

"If you're comfortable with it."

Bucky pauses, thinking for a moment, and then he nods.

The next day Steve walks with Bucky down the street, his hands stuffed into his jacket pockets against the biting cold. It's mid-October; Hallowe'en decorations brighten the streets where they walk, and they stop to buy a couple of coffees before continuing on their way. 

Outside the building Steve stops, frowning, and sensing Steve's not with him Bucky stops at the door and turns. 

"An animal shelter? That's where you go?"

Bucky nods. "Come on, Ginger was in labour last night, I want to see if everything went ok." He opens the door and goes inside the shelter and Steve follows, grinning. The woman at the desk looks up briefly from her paperwork and smiles at them. "Morning James," she says.

"Hey Jan," he answers, barely looking at her. Steve is surprised and a little impressed at the relationships Bucky's managed to build with the staff here. It must be nice to have a place where he can just be James, where he doesn't have to be the Winter Soldier or have to think about everything that's happened to him since the war.

He takes Steve through the shelter. The more people they meet and the farther into the building they go the more obvious it becomes that Bucky is both well liked, and more importantly, trusted. He takes Steve through a door marked 'employees only' and inside is a series of wire cages, most of which house sick or injured cats, though there are a couple of dogs. At the far end, sequestered from the other cages, an orange tabby lays on her side; three little kittens are nestled against her warm belly. 

"Hey Ginger," Bucky says softly, bending a little to look inside. At the sound of his voice her eyes open and she mews. He puts his fingers through the bars and she rubs her chin against them before settling down to rest. Bucky straightens and turns to Steve. "I found her on the sidewalk a few weeks ago, half-starved and sick, so I brought her here. Turns out she was pregnant and we weren't sure if she'd carry the kittens to term 'cause she was in such rough shape. There isn't really enough staff here to care for all the animals so," he shrugs, "I come  in a few times a week and help out. "

Steve wishes he knew how to express how proud he is of Bucky but he doesn't, so he sticks his hands in his pockets and smiles while he looks at Ginger. "Is she your favourite?"

"Ginger has a bad attitude but motherhood seems to have mellowed her out. She hisses and bites and claws. Too dumb to know when she's beat." He frowns and then there's a hint of a smile on his face."Kinda like you."

Steve laughs. "Right. It's a nice place. A little shabby but..."

"But so am I. I like it here, Steve. No one bothers me. No one knows what I've done. The animals are quiet and they like me no matter who I am... or was." He looks embarrassed and drops his gaze, fidgeting a little.

Again Steve wishes he knew the perfect thing to say to make his friend feel better but he's no therapist. "I'm glad you found this place Bucky. You deserve something good after Hydra, after everything."

"Yeah," Bucky says, flushing a little with pride and pleasure. "Here. I'll show you my favourite." He leads Steve back out and down a short hallway toward a room whose walls are lined with large cages, each of them housing a dog. Most of them start barking when they see Bucky and there's a spring in the ex-soldier's step as he softly greets the animals. At the end of the row there's a brown lab that barks and wags his tail enthusiastically, striking his paw against the cage door to be let free. His right front leg is missing and Steve's heart softens at the sight of Bucky kneeling and opening the cage door with his metal arm. 

"This is Rocky," Bucky says, grinning as the dog scrambles over him, trying to lick Bucky's face and then abandoning him to sniff Steve's shoes. Steve sniffles but bends down to pet Rocky, who happily sniffs him before running back to Bucky. "He was found chained up in someone's backyard,  sick, almost dead. I've been taking care of him since I got here but no one wants a broken dog so... He's just been waiting for a home, y'know?"

Steve doesn't need to think about it. "He's got one. Tell your friend at the desk Rocky's coming home with us."

Bucky looks at him and frowns. Rocky goes into his cage and brings back a tennis ball, anxious to play. "But - your allergy. It's the one thing Erskine's formula couldn't fix."

"I'll take medication. It's not like I'm not used to pills. Come on, Buck, the dog makes you happy. And I'll sleep better knowing you're not alone when I'm away on a mission."

Bucky wants so much to say yes, Steve sees it on his face, but something's holding him back. "But-"

"Go and tell your friend to get the paperwork ready and if they give you any trouble tell them Captain America gave the ok."

Bucky hesitates and finally he nods, rises, and pets Rocky's ear. The dog sits and looks up at Bucky with adoration, his tongue lolling. Bucky nods again, presses his lips together, obviously touched. "Ok. Ok. C'mon, Rocky, you're comin' home with me."

Bucky goes back toward the desk, the Labrador scrambling to keep up, and Steve watches with a grin on his face before following his friend to the front desk.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm in love with the idea of recovering!Bucky having a dog to help him through his pain and anxiety. Bucky taking care of animals after everything he's been through melts my heart.


End file.
